


Remember

by highfructose78



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:08:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29859276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/highfructose78/pseuds/highfructose78
Relationships: Susan Ivanova/Talia Winters
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

The time is 0430 est, this is your wake up call. Susan rolled over and groaned. How she hated mornings. Laying there, staring at the ceiling Susan could hear her lover breathing.

She turned her head to look at the woman who was sleeping beside her. Susan smiled and felt her heart swell with love. How could I ever imagine my life without her? Gently Susan traced Talia's face and caressed her cheek.

Her skin was like silk to the touch. Susan never got enough of touching her lover.

Talia began to respond to Susan's touches. A small moan escaped her lips and she opened her eyes.

"Good morning Susan", she replied in her sultry voice.

The sound of the telepath's rich sexy voice always sent shivers up and down Susan's spine.

"How did you sleep?", the telepath asked.

"Peaceful, you need to be here every night."

"I practically am Susan", Talia replied amusingly.

"I think we should move in together."

Talia arched an eyebrow at Susan's statement. "Are you sure you are wake Susan, do you even know what you are saying?

Susan playfully slapped the telepath's shoulder. "Of course I know what I'm saying and I'm serious."

Oh, Susan... Talia reached up and kissed her. Susan responded to the kiss, slowly tracing Talia's lips with her tongue. She felt her mouth open and accept her tongue. Their tongues began an erotic dance, slowly caressing each other's mouths.

The shrill beep of Susan's link interrupted the lovers. Reluctantly Susan answered the page.

"Ivanova here."

"Sir, you are needed in C &C. We have a ship that just came through the jump gate but hasn't responded to hails, it's just sitting there."

"Have you scanned the ship?"

"Yes but the results are inconclusive."

With a frustrated sigh Susan told them she would be there as soon as possible. She slowly removed herself from Talia's embrace.

She wanted to finish what she started a few minutes ago. Talia always had that affect on her. Just one kiss or a look and she had to have her. Stupid C &C and their problems, they couldn't wait just another hour.

"I still want to talk about what I proposed Talia, will you be free for dinner this evening?" She went about getting ready while waiting for Talia to answer.

The telepath went over her schedule, she had a few appointments but would be free for dinner. Susan entered the bathroom before she could respond. Talia decided to get her day started as well.

Twenty minutes later Susan was dressed in her uniform and heading out to C &C.


	2. Chapter 2

"Report", bellowed Cmdr. Ivanova the minute she reached C & C. Lt. Corwin visibly jumped at her command. He always seemed so skittish around her.

"The ship came through the jumpgate about a half hour ago. All attempts at communication have failed.

We can't even penetrate the hull with our sensors."

Susan stepped closer to the observation dome, It was just hanging there lifeless in space. After thinking through her options she made a decision.

"Inform the security chief that we are going to tow the vessel in, tell him to have a security detail standing by.

C& C is yours Corwin." Susan left the dome and headed for the Cobra bay.

"Babylon 5 this is Alpha leader do you copy?"

"Alpha Leader we copy you."

"Any changes with the ship?"

"Negative Alpha Leader."

"Alpha Six and I will attempt to tow the vessel using the grappling hooks."

Ivanova positioned her Starfury on the starboard side while Alpha six took port. Flicking a few switches and the grappling hook was activated. A dull thud sounded when it made contact with the ship's hull. Susan waited for Alpha six to get his hook in position. A warning beep caught her attention. Some kind of feedback was being sent along the hook's connection to the ship. Before she could disengage the surge hit her Starfury.

The lights flashing on the Nav board alerted it's only occupant to a system malfunction. Skilled fingers glided over the controls, frantically trying to remedy the situation.

"Life support down to ten percent."

"Damn", Ivanova swore. She had to send a message to B5 let them know she was in trouble.

"Babylon 5, this is Commander Susan Ivanova my starfury was hit by an energy discharge from the ship. Life Support is failing. Do you copy?"

The crackle of static was the only reply Susan got. Suddenly her vision was engulfed in a white light. That was the last thing Susan registered before everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Command and Control was in chaos. The ship that appeared not an hour ago had exploded. The shock wave rocked Babylon 5. Every sector of the space station was affected.

Security Chief Michael Garabaldi had been in C & C monitoring the situation when the explosion occurred. The force of the blast knocked him to the deck. The lights in C &C blinked on and off several times before auxiliary power kicked in.

Corwin tried desperately to contact the team that went out to investigate the ship but his console would not obey him. Too much damage done by the explosion. Michael had regained his footing and approached Corwin's console.

"What happened?"

"Sir, sensors are down it will take some time to get them working again."

Michael's eyes darted to the viewport, hoping to get a glance of Ivanova and Alpha six. A cloud of debris obscured his vision. A feeling of dread started in the pit of his stomach.

"We need to find out what happened to Cmdr. Ivanova and Alpha six. I'm going to take a team out for search and rescue."

Michael hurried through the corridors of the station, towards cobra bay. All around him he could see the damage done by the explosion. Med teams were helping the injured, damage control teams were starting to make repairs. All he could think about was Susan. She had to be alright. So consumed in his thoughts he didn't see the woman who was coming towards him and he almost knocked her down. He reached out his hand to steady her and raised his head, looking straight into Talia Winters' eyes.

"Talia, are you ok?" He raised his hand to cup her cheek, tracing a nasty red gash with his fingertips.

"I was walking through the Zocalo when I heard this loud crash, then the floor began shaking. I lost my balance and crashed into a vendor's cart. What happened, Michael? Was anyone hurt?"

Michael's face paled at the question. Talia picked up on his uneasiness. Suddenly she was overcome with a sense of dread. She was afraid to voice what was starting to form in her mind but she had to know.

"Michael has something happened to Susan?"

He tried to step around Talia and ignore her question completely but the telepath stopped him. Tears were brimming in her eyes when she pleaded with him again for any news of Susan. His avoidance of her question made her fear grow deeper. Susan had to be alright, they were meeting for dinner later. They were going to talk about moving in together. Talia was going to accept of course not before she teased her mercilessly. She had to be ok, Talia continued to recite that phrase over and over in her mind. She couldn't let herself think otherwise. This time when she asked again tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Michael, please has something happened to Susan?"

He knew he couldn't deny her any longer. Michael took a deep breath and looked into Talia's eyes.

"Susan and another pilot went out to investigate the ship. It exploded while they were out there, we don't know what happened to them. I'm headed out there now. Please I have to go."

The security chief hurried away from the telepath only turning back once to see Talia slump against the wall.


	4. Chapter 4

Michael hurried through the pre-flight checklist with only one goal in mind to find Susan.

"Delta squad this is delta leader."

"Fan out in a standard search pattern."

Michael adjusted his scanners to pick up any sign of the commander's starfury. The computer went through the necessary steps to complete it's task. This waiting was killing Michael. He kept seeing Talia's stricken face. He hated not being able to tell Talia what she so desperately wanted to hear.

A warning beep drew Michael out of his thoughts. He tapped a few controls on his console, a contact was identified.

"Delta squad we have a contact at sector 587. Move in to investigate."

The starfury squadron moved in on the coordinates. On closer inspection they could see it was part of a starfury, the wing to be exact. There was no way of identifying which ship it belonged to.

A cold tendril of fear started in Michael's stomach. He had hoped when the computer alerted him to the contact it would be Susan's starfury or at least Alpha Six. He had to get his emotions under control, he activated the grappling hook and transferred the debris into the ship's hold.

Michael wanted to get a good look at the twisted metal but couldn't do anything until they got back to the station.

An hour later they still didn't find any sign of Susan or Alpha six. The area was littered with debris from the freighter exploding. There wasn't much more they could do. Scans of the area revealed nothing. With a heavy heart Michael ordered the squad back to the station.

Security Chief Michael Garabaldi stood outside Captain Sheridan's office. In his hands was his report about the search & rescue mission he just came back from. This was one of the hardest things he had to do, well maybe not, that was coming up later. His thoughts shifted back to the station's resident telepath. He didn't know how he was going to break the news to her. Michael was surprised that Talia wasn't waiting for him when he docked. As soon as he was finished with the Captain he would seek out the telepath. He didn't want her to hear this news from anyone but himself.

Garabaldi shook his head to clear his thoughts and headed into the captain's office. Captain John Sheridan was pacing the length of his office. He stopped pacing when he saw the security chief.

"Michael, did you find Ivanova?"

"Captain, after examining the debris we found part of Commander Ivanova's Starfury."

John gasped at the news.

"Are you sure?"

"We doubled checked. It was the wing of Susan's Starfury. We weren't able to find anything else but we are still analyzing the sector. The sensors were down after the explosion so our records are incomplete. I would like your permission to keep the search going. I would like to venture at least a few sectors from her last know coordinates. I know it doesn't look good, but I want to exhaust every possible avenue."

"Just because we found that metal doesn't mean she's..." Michael choked on his words. He couldn't get past the lump in his throat. John laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Continue the search Michael, if anyone could have survived this it would be Susan."

Michael nodded his thanks and left before the tears could fall down his cheeks.

The last of the search teams had reported in. The debris field had been thoroughly inspected. The teams did recover what was left of Alpha Six's starfury. No additional wreckage from Ivanova's starfury had been among the pieces collected. Even a sector wide search turned up empty. There was no sign of Commander Susan Ivanova. Michael had no choice but to conclude that Susan had perished. Waves of grief and sadness flooded his body. Susan was a great friend to him and he would deeply miss her.

Now he had the unfortunate duty of letting Talia know. The last few days were especially hard on the telepath. She was contacting Michael every hour for updates on the search. He tried his best to keep hope alive for her sake. The devastated look in her eyes haunted his dreams.

Michael arrived at the telepath's quarters, going over in his mind how he would break the news to her. Michael pressed the chime, the door opened slowly revealing a weary looking Talia. Her face was devoid of makeup, her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

He motioned for Talia to sit and he joined her on the couch.

Michael opened his mouth several times but nothing came out. Looking into Talia's was his undoing. He saw the loss and pain so clearly in her eyes.

Michael's heart was breaking, he couldn't keep his tears from falling. Talia knew that Susan was gone. The tears streaming down Michael's face confirmed the sinking feeling she had when he appeared at her door.

Talia began to sob uncontrollably, Michael gathered the telepath in his arms. Together they mourned the loss of Susan Ivanova.


	5. Chapter 5

Talia walked away from the porthole, for over an hour the telepath was staring into the blackness of space. Her thoughts clouded with images of her long lost love. Memories of their life together, as brief as it was, always intensified around this time. It had been ten years to the day that Commander Susan Ivanova had died. Time still didn't ease the pain she felt in her heart.

Sighing heavily Talia made her way through the Zocalo.

"Oh, Susan I miss you so much." Talia felt the familiar twinge in her heart. Thinking of Susan usually brought her happiness and then incredible sadness at how alone she truly was now. Tears started to well up in her eyes, she wiped the back of her gloved hand across her eyes. She was going to try and be strong.

Talia felt a hand rest on her shoulder, she jumped slightly, not expecting the contact. She turned and came face to face with Mr. Garibaldi.

"Good evening Talia, I reserved a table for us at the Fresh Air."

She quickly composed herself and smiled at Michael. Since Susan's death Michael has been there for her as friend. Talia thought back to her first days on Babylon 5 and the intense crush he had on her. He would follow her around like a love sick puppy. When he found out about her and Susan he was jealous at first but he eventually came around. Now she counted on his presence to help her get through the days without Susan.

Michael's eyes took in the lovely sight of the telepath. He could feel his heart speeding up, but that always happened when he was in her presence. They had become much closer since Ivanova died. He felt guilty at times, like he was betraying his best friend. But he wouldn't give up his friendship with Talia. She needed him now and there was no way he was going to abandon her. He was just glad that she turned to him for support.

Michael placed his hand on the small of Talia's back and they headed toward the restaurant. Talia was absolutely stunning tonight. Her hair was swept up , which left her creamy neck exposed. The black dress clung to her curves and the slit on the side showed just enough of her thigh. Michael decided the temperature had increased at least ten degrees. He started to sweat and panic thinking Talia could feel the emotions that were radiating off of him in waves. He chanced a quick glance at her and much to his relief she was lost in thought.

The trading vessel Pushkin, commanded by Irinia Kralik, approached the Epsilon sector. It's final destination being Babylon 5. Irinia got up from the captain's chair and stretched her long legs. Walking to the viewport she got her first glimpse of the station. A five mile long city in the stars awaited her. She was a long way from Promixa 3, where she and her father lived, and operated a very successful trading company. It was that said business that had brought her to the station. But that didn't mean she couldn't have a little a fun as well. A mischievous grin graced the stoic features of her face.

Irinia turned her head to the sound of the lift opening. A lone figure stepped from the turbolift. He was tall, with large black eyes, that peered into your soul. He glanced around the bridge, looking for the captain, their eyes locked and he made his way to her.

"Good evening Irinia, I see we have reached Babylon 5." Dimitri toned in his rich Russian accent.

Irinia smiled at her first officer. He was utterly devoted to her. It was difficult to find that level of devotion these days and she treasured it.

"Good evening Dimitri, yes we have finally arrived. I was beginning to get stir crazy."

A hearty laughed erupted deep within Dimitri's throat. "Oh Irinia we all know what happens when you get stir crazy."

She scowled at his remark, knowing what incident he was referring to. Damn him for bringing that up again. She would never live that night down. "For heaven's sake it's been three years, Dimitri. Aren't you ever going to stop torturing me about it?"

"Captain, we are receiving a transmission from Babylon 5." Irinia was thankful for the interruption. She stepped around Dimitri and headed over to the captain's chair. "Put the message through."

"Trading vessel Pushkin, this is Command & Control please standby for docking assignment." A few seconds later the voice from C & C continued with it's instructions.

"Trading vessel Pushkin please report to docking bay 8, beacon alpha 6, you are cleared to dock."

"Affirmative, Babylon Control, trading vessel Pushkin out." Irinia felt pride swell in her chest at her well trained crew. She watched as her navigation officer maneuvered the ship into it's docking assignment. Her ship was now under Babylon 5's control. Irinia turned towards her first officer.

"Dimitri, you have the bridge, I'm going aboard Babylon 5 and check on our arrangements. Once everything is in order I'll make contact and the rest of the crew can come aboard." With an affirming nod Dimitri accepted his orders.

Before Irinia left the bridge, Dimitri had one final thing to say. "Try and behave yourself."

Irinia just growled in response and stormed off the bridge.


	6. Chapter 6

The customs and disembarkation area of Babylon 5 was bustling with activity. Various species of aliens were coming and going. Bright lights with Welcome to Babylon 5 illuminated the way. Irinia made her way down the ramp, turning her head from side to side to take in her new surroundings. She could see the customs area and hear the security guard reminding new arrivals about having their identicards ready.

The line was pretty long and judging by the way the customs officer was moving, Irinia knew she was in for a long wait. Sighing heavily she pulled a map from her bag. She had been studying the layout of B5 for several days now and was still a little confused. She didn't want to be wandering around the station lost. This was an important business meeting and she felt honored that her father chose her to conduct it.

Irinia noticed only two more people were in line ahead of her. She glanced behind her and realized she was the last in line. Irinia put the map away and waited for her turn. Coming up to the customs officer she smiled and handed her identicard to him. He briefly glanced at her and took her identicard. Before putting her card in the scanner his head snapped up and he began staring at Irinia.

"Excuse me, Irinia strained to see his name plate, Officer Jenkins is there a problem?" The customs officer was completely speechless. He didn't hear the woman's question. All he could do was stare.

Irinia couldn't hold her temper any longer. "Hey knucklehead give me back my identicard." Irinia tried to grab her card from the mute customs officer. She took a few steps toward him, which seemed to wake him from his trance. Jenkins stepped backed when he saw her advancing towards him. Without thinking he placed his hand on his PPG holster, "Please step back Commander."

Irinia's brows knitted in confusion. "Did he just call me commander?" She quickly turned around to see if anyone else was behind her. When she turned back to Jenkins she noticed another officer had come to his aide. "Now I have double trouble", she groaned to herself. "This was supposed to be so simple. All he had to do was slide my card in the scanner and wave me on. But no he decided to go all crazy on me. Why me? Why do things like this happen. Suddenly an idea formed in Irinia's head. She began walking towards the officers to explain what she thought might be the problem.

Zack Allen was rounding the corner making his rounds near the customs area. He noticed a new arrival was giving the customs officer a bit of a hard time. He decided to see if he could defuse the situation.

"Officer Jenkins is there a problem here?" Zack took a quick glance at the woman who was approaching them. Then he looked at her identicard that Jenkins was holding. Before he even finished reading the info his head snapped up again to get a better look at her. "It can't be, he managed to choke out. If he didn't know any better he would have sworn that Commander Susan Ivanova was standing before them.


	7. Chapter 7

Michael and Talia had been shown to their table quickly. They began studying their menus, a comfortable silence settled around them.

The beep from Michael's link broke the silence. Michael looked down in irritation at his link. He left strict orders not to be disturbed. Someone would pay for interrupting his evening with Talia. He looked at the telepath and apologized for the interruption. Talia smiled, reassuring him that it was ok. Michael excused himself from the table and made his way outside the restaurant. He activated his link with an irritated push of the button.

"Garibaldi here, this better be an emergency", he barked into the link.

"Chief", came the perplexed tone of his second in command, Zack Allen. "We have a situation down in customs that requires your attention."

Michael rolled his eyes, Zack could always be a bit dramatic.

"What is it Zack? I am really busy right now. Can't you handle this?

"Trust me chief you want to be here for this."

Michael could hear shouting over the link, someone wasn't a happy camper. He looked over at the table where Talia was still sitting, he sighed heavily he didn't want to leave her but duty calls. "I'll be down in a few minutes Zack, Garibaldi out".

Michael made his way back in to the restaurant, heading straight for Talia.

"I'm sorry Talia, but I have to cut our evening short. Would you like me to walk you to your quarters?"

"No Michael that won't be necessary. Talia was grateful for the interruption. She had thought about canceling with Michael several times this week but just couldn't bring herself to see his dejected face. All she really wanted to do was be alone and think of her love.

"Talia are you ok? I could easily call Zack and let him handle this himself."

Talia was touched by his concern. She began shaking her head. "That won't be necessary, I think I will take a stroll through the gardens before I turn in. I would just like to be alone with my thoughts, I hope you understand."

Talia moved closer to embrace the security chief and place a small kiss to his cheek. "Thank you for worrying Michael, you have been a great friend. I promise I will be okay.

The kiss on the cheek made him feel warm all over. When the telepath leaned in towards him, her scent filled his nostrils. He inhaled deeply, all coherent thought drained from his mind.

Talia pulled away and noticed the dreamy look on Michael's face. She knew that he still carried romantic feelings for her but he never acted on them. She hoped her display of friendly affection wasn't seen as something more.

Michael quickly recovered and wished Talia a goodnight. He made his way to the transport tube and called for the customs area. Michael leaned against the wall, thinking about the kiss that Talia gave him. He didn't want to read anything into that kiss but he couldn't help it. He knew Talia's heart belonged to Susan. But maybe just maybe she could open a small part for him. The transport stopped when it reached it's destination. Michael stepped off and headed towards the customs area.

Zack was still in shock after seeing what appeared to be Commander Ivanova. He could understand now what had Jenkins so rattled. He still held her identicard in his hand, he decided to read the info. "Let's see what we have here. Irinia Kralik. Irinia, is that Russian?, Zack looked to Jenkins for clarification. Jenkins just shrugged his shoulders. Irinia had approached the officers with a possible explanation for the mix up.

She cleared her throat to get their attention. Both men lifted their heads to look at Irinia.

"Gentleman I believe I might have an answer to your problem."

Both Zack and Jenkins just stared at her not saying a word. Irinia continued with her story, "I think my first officer is playing some sort of trick on me. I think he might have altered my identicard somehow and that's why you thought I was this Commander Ivanova."

"Is she really serious Zack?" Jenkins questioned.

"Look, I'm sorry I lost my temper. She smiled trying to make the situation better. If you could please give me back my identicard, I will have this resolved quickly."

Zack mulled over what she just told him. He wasn't sure how to proceed in this endeavor.

"If you'll excuse Ms. Kralik."

He walked to the beginning of the customs area and placed a call to Garibaldi.

"Ms. Kralik I've contacted the chief of security, please wait for him to arrive and take care of this matter."

"What is there to take care of?" she asked in an aggravated tone. Irinia had enough of this harassment.

"I haven't done anything wrong. You can't hold me here against my will."

"Please ma'am calm down, Mr. Garibaldi will be here shortly. Zack wished he would get here soon.

Irinia scowled at Zack and sat down on the bench a few feet away. "Will this nightmare ever end?" She closed her eyes and tried taking deep breaths to calm herself.

Zack was pacing back and forth the length of customs. He stole occasional glances at Irinia or was it Commander Ivanova. He couldn't wrap his mind around the situation. Her identicard looked authentic, maybe this was a true case of mistaken identity. He would let Garibaldi sort this one out, after all he was the chief.


	8. Chapter 8

Michael headed towards the customs area. It was deserted, accept for a woman who was sitting with her back towards him. Zack spotted Michael immediately and sighed in relief.

"Chief."

Michael turned towards his second in command's voice, the woman on the bench forgotten.

"Ok, Zack are you going to tell me what the hell is going on here?" Michael was in no mood for games.

"Chief, I think you should see for yourself. It would be to hard to put into words. Zack pointed towards the woman seated on the bench.

Michael looked to where Zack was pointing to. He snorted to himself, this is what got Zack all fired up, a woman. He started walking towards the woman and then abruptly stopped in mid stride. When the woman turned towards him and he got a glimpse of her face he knew why Zack was shaken.

Michael's heart stopped for a brief second. He shook his head to clear his vision, thinking perhaps he was hallucinating. When he opened his eyes the sight before him was the same. Walking towards him was his long lost friend, Susan Ivanova.

Irinia was trying her best to keep her temper in check. She was fighting a losing battle. The personnel she encountered so far were incompetent. How long did she have to wait for Chief of Security to arrive? She was going to file a formal complaint as soon as he arrived.

"Where the hell was that man?" Irinia began to shift in her seat, she turned around and saw a man coming down the corridor. She hoped he was the security chief. She got up from the bench and made her way to the man.

Michael decided to meet her halfway. A huge smile graced his face at seeing his best friend. Without realizing what he was doing he enveloped the woman in a bone crushing embrace. "Susan, is that you? Oh my God Susan you are alive. Where have you been all this time?"

Irinia was gasping for air and trying to get the man off her. "What else do I have to endure on this god forsaken space station?" She began squirming and trying to slip from his strong arms. "Get your paws off me", she shouted at him.

Michael pulled back to look at Susan with confusion etched on his face. "Come on Ivanova, there's nothing wrong with showing a little affection for someone you haven't seen in ten years." Michael chuckled to himself, but he could tell Susan was in no mood to joke around.

A low growl started in Irinia's throat. "I am not Susan Ivanova, you idiot. Now take your hands off me before I rip them off and beat you senseless with the bloody stumps."

Michael dropped his hands to his sides and took two steps away from the irate woman.

"Whoa, take it easy there." Zack magically appeared at Garibaldi's side. "See why I needed you here Chief."

Michael just glared at Zack and brought his attention back to Susan or whoever she was.

"Okay if you are not Susan Ivanova, then who are you and why do you look like her?"

Irinia screamed in frustration. Her face was turning a deep scarlet.

"As I told your second banana, I am Irinia Kralik from Proxima 3. I believe your goon still has my identicard."

Michael looked to Zack for confirmation. Zack just nodded his head and passed the identi scanner to Michael.

He absently scrolled through the information that appeared on the small screen. Everything Irinia said was true. Michael was just a little confused. All his instincts told him that the woman standing before him was indeed Susan. He decided to play along until he could investigate the situation further.

"Alright Ms. Kralik answer my second question, why do you look like Susan Ivanova?"

Irinia released a sigh before responding.

"Did it ever occur to you that Commander Ivanova looks like me?"

Both Michael and Zack looked at each other, sheepish expressions on their faces.

Zack shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't think of that Chief."

"Neither did I Zack", Michael responded softly.

Irinia's features softened with the whispered confessions. "Listen I understand that you miss your friend and maybe we share a resemblance but I assure you I am not her. In fact this is my first visit to Babylon 5. Hey do you have a picture of her? I'm very curious to see how similar we are."

Michael thought about the request and an idea formed in his head. "I can pull up her service record on the Bab Comm unit over there, follow me."

Michael began manipulating the comm unit. A few seconds later Susan's service record began scrolling across the screen. The image that came up was at least 15 years old. He motioned for Irinia to join him.

Irinia made her way to the bab comm unit, nervous butterflies in the pit of her stomach. She slowly approached the screen and gasped.

"Oh my", was all she could choke out. She could understand why she had such an effect on the gentlemen in her company.

"It's like looking into a mirror." Irinia was amazed at the uncanny resemblance Commander Ivanova had to her own face.

"You said she's been gone for ten years, what happened to her?"

A sad expression came over Michael's face. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

Susan went out on a reconn mission. A freighter exploded, we believe her starfury was caught in the explosion. We never found her body only a piece of her ship. Michael fought hard to keep the tears at bay. This woman looked so much like Susan it had to be her.

"I'm sorry for your loss gentleman but I need to contact my crew. I'm sure they are wondering what has become of their captain.

Michael contemplated her request. He didn't see any harm in allowing her to make contact. He was a bit suspicious of the whole encounter. His gut was telling him that this was Susan, he just wasn't sure how he was going to prove that.

Michael gave Irinia the go ahead to contact her crew and then motioned for Zack to join him.

"Zack go back to the station house do a background check on our doppelganger here. I want to know everything about Ms. Irinia Kralik."


	9. Chapter 9

Everyday for ten years I've had one job to do. It was simple, most people would do anything to have a job like this. Push a few buttons, wait for the report and then done. In the beginning it was exciting and a bit mysterious. The most influential businessman on Proxmia 3 had chosen him for this assignment. As the days and months went by the job lost it's appeal. The results were the same. This morning seemed like any other day. Yuri made his way to his console, pushed a few buttons and waited for the readout. Looking at the readout Yuri expected to see the same thing he has seen everyday for the last ten years. But to his surprise it was different, Yuri was so shocked he almost forgot what to do next.

He shook his head to clear it and tapped a few keys on his console. He wanted to double check what was appearing on his screen. After checking everything out he contacted his boss. Seconds later Andrei Kralik's face filled the tiny screen on the console.

"Sir, we have multiple inquires about your daughter. They all originated from Babylon 5."

Andrei digested the information. "Who was making these requests?"

Yuri brought up the info on his console.

"The Security Department, let me get you the name." A few seconds later the named appeared.

"Security Chief Michael Garabaldi."

"Very good Yuri. If there are any more inquires let me know at once." Andrei cut the transmission. He closed his eyes and sighed. The day he has been fearing for ten years has finally arrived. He would do everything in his power to protect his daughter. He failed her once but never again.

Talia entered the turbolift and leaned against the cool metal. She was thankful she was the only passenger. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Talia could feel the headache starting behind her eyes. Today had been emotionally hard on the telepath.

Talia felt the lift stop but didn't open her eyes. She figured someone was getting on, indeed the lift stopped to pick up passengers. She could hear them talking in hushed tones. She stopped focusing on them and let her thoughts drift to Susan. Talia couldn't believe her love had been gone ten years. The pain and emptiness she felt was just as powerful today as it had been all those years ago. Talia pictured her face, her eyes and the way they would crinkle when she smiled. The voices started getting louder intruding into Talia's memories of Susan. She could hear one of the passengers asking what level they needed to get off at.

"Red Sector." The destination was said with such conviction at least that's what Talia thought. It sounded familiar to the telepath. She realized it sounded like Susan's voice. But that was impossible. "Get a grip Talia, now you're starting to hear her voice." She laughed to herself.

The lift stopped and this time Talia did open her eyes. She saw a rather largely built man step off the lift. If she had opened her eyes sooner she would have noticed the lift's other occupant. The turbolift resumed it's course taking the telepath to her quarters. She let out a sigh and for the hundredth time that day wished that Susan was here.


End file.
